Concerning Gays, Lesbians and Transgenders

Dear Father
Q  Rome Synod is on. A few days ago, in Rome, a priest said that he was a gay. Though the pope criticized the same sex marriages, but some prelates, humanists and lay people seem to have open-minds about it. I'm curious as to what position the church has to pose toward gays, lesbians and transgenders. To be specific, can they attend masses and receive sacraments? If there are any conditions to receiving sacraments for them, what are they?

A  Our Lord Jesus Christ came to save sinners from their sins – not to let them in their sins. Hence, no matter how big a sin is, there is room for mercy, if the sinner is docile to our Lord Jesus Christ who “calls sinners to penance” (Lk. 5:32). Thus our Lord Jesus Christ says to the woman taken in adultery: “Neither shall I condemn thee: go and sin no more!” (Jn. 8:11) Here you have the full attitude of our Lord: welcoming the sinners… and leading him/her to penance and true conversion… and even to great heights of holiness like Mary Magdalen, from whom he had cast seven devils (Mk. 16:9).

 To be more precise, one should first distinguish between practicing gays/lesbians and those who have such inclination but are fighting their best against it. Those who are practicing are doing very grievous mortal sins and cannot receive the sacraments, unless first they really convert and change their lives (and make a good confession). Their continuing in sin is a lack of docility to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The first thing they should do is to avoid the situation of sin (e.g. living together…), avoid the occasion of sin (e.g. visiting a “friend” like them), really be sorry for their past sins, detesting them as the greatest evil (depriving them of the greatest of all good, God Himself!), and taking the first resolution to avoid all of them in the future, taking the means to fulfil this resolution, by a true life of prayer, a good confession, and some practices of penance. Once they do that, they can come back to the practice of the sacraments – there remains a certain inclination to sin after such conversion, but with proper spiritual fight against such inclination and with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ it is possible – even source of great joy – to overcome these temptations and remain faithful to our Lord.

 In the meantime, before such conversion, it is not forbidden for them to attend Mass – though without receiving Holy Communion. At the foot of the Altar, they are like at the foot of the Cross: the more they contemplate how much our Lord Jesus Christ has suffered for them (and our Lady with Him), to take them OUT OF their sins and save them, the more they should be touched by such merciful love and should open their heart to the grace of God, repenting for their sins, as explained above.

 Transgender is another kind. It is a very – very – grave sin to destroy what God has made in their very own body, viz. their natural sex. They can NEVER change all the DNA in each of their cells; doctors have mutilated them of their natural organs and only given them the external appearance of the opposite sex, without any of its real abilities: they can never have children! (They can never have even an orgasm anymore!) They depend on artificial hormones, etc. Statistics shows that the rate of attempted suicide among them is extraordinary high, which manifests their real misery.

 

 What does the church require from them? The normal principle is that one should rebuild that which he had destroyed (e.g. if you burn your neighbour’s house, you much rebuild it!) However in their case, usually they cannot “undo” what they have done; doctors are unable to give back to them that which they have taken away. However they should be able to stop taking hormones (such hormones would develop artificial breasts in men, or facial hair in women…) They should also restore their civil identity to their real identity and real gender (that of their DNA). Together with these actions, they should have a true conversion of heart as explained above… and then they can come back to the Sacraments (penance and Holy Eucharist): there is always room for conversion with our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 No matter how big the sin was, God is always willing to forgive if someone comes to Him with a truly contrite heart and conversion of life. St Augustine says that God has promised that in what day so ever a sinner returns to Him, He will forgive him… but He did not promise a tomorrow! Now is the day of conversion, now is the time to return to God, tomorrow might be too late; one day we will not have a tomorrow! “Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap. For he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh also shall reap corruption. But he that soweth in the spirit, of the spirit shall reap life everlasting.” (Gal 6:7-8)

 Those who have not fallen in such sin should not despise those who have, but rather pray – and make sacrifice – for their conversion. Our Lady at Fatima showed Hell to the three children, telling them: “you have seen Hell, where the poor sinners fall. Many go to Hell because there is no one to pray and make sacrifices for them!” They go to Hell because of their own sins (God “will he render to every man according to his works.” Mat 16:27); but if we pray and make sacrifices for them, we can obtain from the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ the graces of conversions for these souls.

 

 So you can see how the Church – like her Divine Spouse, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is Holiness itself – at the same time never approves sins, rather detest sin, yet loves the sinner to the point of sacrificing self for his salvation.

 May the Immaculate Virgin Mary, who was so absolutely removed from sin, yet is the “Mother of Mercy”, help you to understand these great truths, and live them with Her.

 
 Yours sincerely in Jesus and Mary,

 Father François Laisney